Self-employment is definitely on my mind, and I want to be as prepared as possible for self-employment as I can be. I have been analyzing our budget a lot (our budget will be posted soon), and I have been looking for any categories in which we can lower or eliminate our spending altogether. Cable has definitely been on my mind because of this.
There are also other reasons why we have thought about possibly eliminating cable. We spend a lot of time in front of the TV, and we constantly wonder if it is worth it.
There are some shows that we feel that we NEED to watch (Boardwalk Empire, True Blood, Walking Dead, and the list goes on forever), but the rest are mainly just shows that we watch to procrastinate with things that we should actually be doing.
Also, another reason is that there are many people out there who watch all of these same shows and save tons of money. Some don’t spend anything, or they spend a very small amount each month, such as $10.
If I can possible save money, then why not? Who wants to spend more money than they have to?
Surprisingly, I have received some flack on the blog lately for wanting to save money. With self-employment, income is not stable, and I would like our budget to be low if we can help it. We still want to enjoy our lives (there are plenty of free and frugal activities out there) of course, but if we can save money and still receive the same value in return, then why not?
What amount do we pay for cable right now?
We are currently paying $57 (this amount includes all fees and taxes) for nearly every single channel imaginable and also for channels such as HBO.
It would be higher but around every 6 months I call the cable company and ask them for a discount, and they always easily say yes. This must be because so many customers are cutting the cord lately.
Would we be more productive without all of these extra channels if we determined cable isn’t worth it?
$60 is probably not an amount that could break us, but I wonder that if we paid for less channels if we would be more productive and maybe even happier in our lives.
With the amount of channels that we have, there is almost always something on TV for us to watch. We pay $60 a month for only 3 shows each YEAR pretty much.
With less channels, I do feel as though I will be more productive. And this is a big reason for why I might want to get rid of cable. Sitting in front of the TV when I should be working during the day just sounds too tempting! If I get hooked on a show, it’s really hard for me not to watch a marathon of it for the rest of the day. I am guilty to say that almost every single Saturday I work on my side hustles while watching a Boy Meets World marathon.
If we were paying $10 a month for what we watch, then we would be saving $50 a month. That $50 could go towards something else that has meaning instead of all of the mind-numbing shows that I currently watch (ahem… Teen Mom and everything else on MTV that I seem to be addicted to).
Related: 16 Alternatives To Cable TV That WILL Save You Money
We do love watching TV.
Don’t get me wrong, we both do love watching TV. I always love a good movie and a new TV show (I’m loving Under the Dome right now) too.
The price we pay isn’t too high, and I believe we pay much less than what others pay. I have heard of some cases where some families pay over $100 a month for less channels than we receive. I have even heard that the average cable bill is around $125 a month, which blows my mind because I would never pay that much. Would you ever pay that much for TV?
There are many ways to save on cable, of which we have done in order to lower our cable cost to as low as we have it. It’s always best to sign up under some sort of “New customer” discount.
Also, always make sure to ask for additional discounts. You can ask for the receiver for free, any insurance on the satellite, free HD channels, free premium channels such as HBO and so on. Also, do what we do and call your cable company every 6 months or so and ask for a discount. This has ALWAYS worked for us and usually takes less than 5 minutes.
What other TV options are there?
Netflix – Less than $10 a month
Netflix is around $10, and with it you can stream shows straight to your TV. Or you can get DVDs straight to your home.
At one point, my sister bought Netflix (I’m not even sure if we still have it, I’ll blame my laziness for not knowing the answer to that), and we would stream it from our PS3 straight to our TV. However, I never really saw too many shows or movies that interested me. I’m not sure if I just had bad timing, but I also only gave Netflix one or two chances.
Hulu Plus – Also less than $10 a month
Hulu Plus is $7.99 per month. I have heard that Hulu Plus is great if you want fewer ads (as compared to the free Hulu service) and because you can stream a lot of recent shows that may not be on Netflix.
Antenna – Free
I hope everyone knows what this is. Find those rabbit ears and put them on your TV. You can get basic channels for free. If you don’t already have an antenna, they can of course be bought at stores for what I’m thinking would be a relatively low price.
EDIT: I now use an antenna so that I can get my favorite local channels. You can go to this website and find many great antennas – this is an affiliate link, but I didn’t find out I could be an affiliate until after I was already using their antenna. I truly enjoy their product and recommend it!
Amazon Prime – $79 a year, but there are often discounts
There are many benefits of Amazon Prime, such as free shipping, but the main point of including it in this post is that they offer unlimited streaming as well in their service.
I logged in to see what the exact price would be, and it says it is normally $79. However, when I logged in, Amazon said that I qualify for a 50% discount, which would make my price only $39 a year. That seems like a deal! I have heard that there are many different discounts out there, such as for being a student, so please research this. I’m sure most people don’t pay the full $79 price.
Library – Free
The library is also another option, and all it costs is whatever it takes in gas to drive there. The library often has movies and you can rent what you want to watch for free.
Do you have cable? Is is cable worth it to you? How much do you spend each month on cable?
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I used to have Freeview so I would only pay about £12 each month to have access to about 50 channels. I was rarely watching TV as I prefer to watch a movie at the cinema instead. So, I cancelled my Freeview and I don’t have any channels anymore which is totally okay with me. However, for someone who like watching TV but would like to save a bit of money, I think a basic package is a good idea or Netflix as it is so much cheaper.
I’m different, I prefer to watch movies at home. I don’t know why!
My guy and I have moved around a lot and sometimes we have had cable and other times we have not, depending on our budget. Overall I would say it’s not worth it. We currently have netflix and we have ways of watching every show we want to see. I only am interested in a few shows so I personally don’t miss it at all. Every time I go to visit my mom who has cable, I spend most of the tv just flipping through channels and thinking about how much of a waste of money it is.
I agree Ashley! We only watch a couple of shows so I don’t really see it as worth it.
cable is included in our rent, mostly because our landlords are nice people, and don´t charge extra for it. So we don´t spend any money on it.. but I guess I would´ve been hesitant spending a lot of money on cable otherwise… mostly because I like to watch certain tv shows, but I always stream them online, that way I can watch the newest episode, only a day after it aired in the US, instead of waiting a year or so before it might get aired on Norwegian television. So considering how the Norwegian television is filled with American, British and Australian tv shows, I could definitely do without cable, and rather watch it online!
Wow that is a nice deal!
we spend about 125.00 for cable and internet. I estimate that if we did not have internet (God forbid!) that we would spend about 50 to 60 dollars a month on cable. Do we watch too much TV? Yes. Is that going to change? probably not.
Haha yeah I don’t think I could go without internet.
Ha! I wrote about this same topic today. For me, it was the time, not necessarily the money that made the decision easy for us. It’s definitely a good discussion to have with your family, even if you don’t pull the plug!
Yeah the time factor is what we keep thinking about!
We have Netflix but the problem is we have cable as well. And we also use RedBox. I don’t see us getting rid of cable but it could save us a few hundred per year. I don’t watch much tv but for those things I like watching like sports and playoffs I just find that cable is one of those I could cut but probably wont bills.
We don’t really watch any sports, but I do see how it would be worthwhile to those who do.
I once thought that I’d never be able to live without cable but I haven’t had it in about 2.5 years. I did have netflix and hulu plus for 2 of those years though. right now I have nothing but am thinking about getting hulu & netflix again (I love me my tv!)
Wow that is awesome Nicole! I don’t know if I could go totally without.
I haven’t had cable since I moved out at 18, so coming up on 10 years. I’ve made due with over the air channels and more recently Netflix and Hulu+. Those two combined are about $17/month. I’m not anti-tv by any means but I do find that I don’t mindlessly get sucked into what’s on next watching online. The only time I wish I had cable is during football season, but that just means games on ESPN are watched with friends!
That is awesome Amanda!
We’ve been without DirecTV for several years and it’s been a blessing for our family to not watch as much television. We do have an antenna and a Netflix subscription. Once our mortgage is paid off sometime next year I think we will subscribe again to DirecTV with the freed up money in our budget.
I think that’s a great idea Brian!
No cable, just antenna TV here. I don’t miss it and glad I cut the cord years ago! It’s amazing how much there is still on TV without cable to watch like Downton Abbey is on public TV.
Yes, there are tons of shows on public TV, and a lot of our favorites are on there as well.
Well ever since my bill jumped 33% and they pretty much refused to drop it again (I had them drop it twice in the past year or so), I have been paying too much! Probably going to switch to satellite soon. I like all the alternative options that have come about, but I don’t foresee myself cutting the cord anytime soon. I oftentimes have shows or sports on in the background while I’m working on the site or entering giveaways.
Wow a 33% jump is too much! How much is your monthly bill now?
Lol, I did virtually the same post this morning…save for the different options you could look at. We’ve still got DirecTV and don’t see that changing anytime soon.
Haha it’s a popular topic! 🙂
I actually just set up our antenna (the Mohu Leaf) and our blu ray/dvd/wi-fi device this weekend and will be cancelling Direct TV today. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer, and I also don’t really think it’s worthwhile to compare what you spend to what others spend. If you value the purchase and still have room in your budget for your top financial goals, then stick with it. If it’s compromising your goals or you just don’t enjoy it anymore, then get rid of it.
I’m not exactly comparing what I’m spending to others in order to gauge whether or not I should keep it. I am just curious 🙂
I think I could go TV-less. It’s my husband that can’t. We have digital cable, especially for the sports. He recently renegotiated our contract, though, so we’ve got more channels for less $$. Then he recently added a Roku. I think it’s a lot of money for all of it, but I know I can’t ask him to give up his sports, just like I wouldn’t want him to ask me to give up travel!
Haha yes, I think it’s the same for us as well.
We haven’t paid for cable in ages. It must be 4 years now. I just don’t see it as worth it.
Good job!
I love Boy Meets World! Leslie and I cut cable a few years back and were subscribed to Netflix for a while. Now we don’t even have a TV so we thought it was silly to continue to pay for Netflix. Luckily for us, a lot of our favorite shows air online a day or so after they air on TV so we still get to watch them. For free! Not having all the extra TV channels and whatnot has really helped us boost our productivity during what would normally be our downtime. To be honest, I thought we would miss having TV a lot more than we actually do.
Haha everyone loves Boy Meets World, right? 🙂
That’s awesome that you two don’t even have a TV. I honestly don’t know if I could do that though!
I don’t pay for cable. I do watch a lot of TV but only a few shows religiously so I just rely on Hulu. It’s a good expense to cut if you really need to but at the same time, if it’s something you really enjoy, $60 isn’t going to hurt you that much.
Yes, I agree. We do love our TV!
$57 for cable is a great deal. That’s cheaper than what pay. The main reason I still have dish is for sports . If they create a way for you to watch sports for a lower price, I will tell dish bye bye.
Haha yes so many people keep it for sports. Luckily, I do not care about sports! 🙂
We used to have cable, but it was ridiculously expensive for what we had compared to satellite. We signed up for satellite (Direct TV) because it was way cheaper. Since we were new customers, we negotiated a cheaper price, plus received the DVR genie which usually costs $200-300 (but we didn’t have to pay for it). It’s definitely worth it to use, since it is a better service.
I’m not sure how much we pay, since my husband was the one that switched the service.
Yes, satellite is usually much cheaper!
I have been cable free for over a year and I enjoy the savings. We use a variety of other methods to watch shows, but we tend to just go with the antenna and netflix. It is a combo that works well for us.
That sounds like a great combo. We have been thinking about doing something similar!
Thanks for posting about the great cable debate. I live alone on a tight budget and have struggled with the idea of keeping or getting rid of cable. Where I live in NC, cable runs about $60 a month. The cost isn’t terrible, but that’s $60 that could help pay down my student loans or boost my monthly savings. I’ve kept cable mainly for the company that it provides but I do hope to one day pull the plug. Thank you for providing other options to consider!
You’re welcome Emily 🙂
Yes, $60 isn’t a TON of money, but it is something.
I recently wrote a post basically asking the same question. I HATE paying the cable bill (which is roughly the same as yours). We don’t watch much TV and mostly just flip through the channels before hitting the sack at night.
The reason I haven’t cut the cord yet is because of NFL. I could easily live without it but my man likes to keep up with it and none of the other options (HuluPlus, NetFix, etc.) have NFL. Sure, they have NHL, NBA, etc…but no NFL.
What gives???? Am I missing something???
Yes, we just flip through the channels as well. Luckily, W doesn’t like sports!
We got rid of our cable and saved about $50 month. We use an antenna, Netflix, and Apple TV box.
Great decision. Unfortunately we are moving to where we can’t have an antenna and only two cable/dish companies are available. 🙁
http://simplestylespirit.blogspot.com/
Sounds like a good combo for TV! And oh no, why can’t you have an antenna? No reception?
I cut the chord in spring and don’t mind it at all. I have a digital converter box and rabbit ears, and I subscribe to netflix streaming and one dvd out at a time (because I wanted to see the hbo and showtime shows and the only way is to get the physical dvd’s-damn netflix!) My friend has hulu plus and we media share (don’t tell anyone). 🙂 My friend gave me his roku box and all in all I couldn’t be happier. BTW mtv has a lot of shows online and one of my guilty pleasures at lunch is to watch one of their dumb shows. 🙂
What is a roku box? Everyone is talking about it!
We actually just made the switch to cable. It’s bundled with our internet so it’s only about $40 more a month and my husband calls periodically and gets better rates on both services.
We lived happily without cable for the first two years of our marriage and I grew up without it. Hulu and Netflix are great but are limited. Even with the antenna (which cost us $12), we only got 2 local stations.
It’s an interesting question about productivity. I enjoy writing my blog, sewing or even doing work in the evenings with the TV on for “background” so productivity isn’t really an issue for me.
$40 a month is a great deal! We are probably going to cancel HBO for when our shows aren’t on (there will be a 6 month lapse with nothing on there that we watch), which will save us around $15 a month, I believe.
We currently do not have cable and haven’t had it in years. We actually don’t even have a T.V. at the moment! We had Netflix for awhile, but cancelled after the price hike they had. I DO agree with you though … there are several NEEDS :p when it comes to T.V. shows (i.e. Walking Dead) We have found ways to watch the shows we want (legally!) without having to spend the money to watch them.
We also try to limit the amount of T.V. we watch. I’ve been guilty in the past of spending all day getting sucked into a T.V. marathon. We have big goals and we’re always working on eliminating distractions.
The only thing we will not give up is our internet! We’ve actually contemplated getting rid of it a few times! We use it of course for blogging, but also for our own business. I’m excited for the day where we don’t have to think about all of these things and we can get them if we want!
Yes, I could never get rid of internet either! My self-employment relies on it!
I’ve been considering Amazon Prime for a while now. I had to go back to Netflix after I got really tired of always hitting Redbox. Their streaming service was convenient but they really need to update the selection more often.
I agree, they need more updates!
I actually do not watch TV, so my views are very biased and I think it’s way too expensive. Even if you watch a few shows, it may be cheaper to order them individually through streaming services. But I can understand for people who love TV. My parents have it mostly for the Spanish channels, and it’s about $80/mo. Bundling is definitely key with those services, and make sure to take advantage of the 6-12 month specials. A lot of companies are willing to give you a better-than-customary rate once your contract expires, especially if you tell them you’re switching.
Yeah we might have to look into ordering them individually as well!
We cancelled ours a few months ago for that same reason. We weren’t really watching anything except useless background noise. We have Netflix streaming, and add the DVD plan if there is a show we want to watch that isn’t on streaming. So far, it’s been great.
Great to hear Kim! We might go the same route.
We go back and forth but still have DirecTV for now. I generally think it’s a pretty good value when considering entertainment gained per dollar spent, but it’s a bad deal in terms of its impact on our overall time, as you noted. For the next year we’ll likely keep it but I do think our lives will be more fulfilling without so much television time. It’s a habit, mostly, and that’s why it’s hard for us to break it.
We are the same way. We have always had cable!
Hey Michelle. I haven’t had cable for many years now, but I still watch every show I want and don’t miss out on anything.
I do have a off the air antenna and that brings in over 22 channels including all the PBS, Fox, CW, NBC, CBS, Mt local Montreal channels and more. I also use the library for DVD seasons and if need be, I’ll download a TV show or two!
More importantly though – “Surprisingly, I have received some flack on the blog lately for wanting to save money” – What’s up with that!?
Take care and all the best.
Lyle
Sounds like you have a good mix!
And yes, it is a little upsetting that people think that my opinion doesn’t matter since I apparently do not need to save money (this is according to some comments that I have received).
The advantage with cable in your case though, is that if things started getting tight you could cancel if needed to free up some money.
We have it. We pay too much for it but it’s one of these ”being married and making compromises” that I have succumbed to. He loves it. I enjoy it but could do without it, so we have it. We have very little ”’spending” while in debt so for him/us, this a main entertainment source for us.
Yes, you are correct Catherine. Luckily we do not have a contract with our cable company and can cancel it at anytime.
We cancelled our satellite a few months ago and haven’t missed it at all! It saves us about $80 per month. Right now we have Hulu and Netflix, both are $7.99 and we just stream through the Xbox. We also bought a Roku, but haven’t played with it too much since our reno isn’t done and we aren’t using the living room yet. We’re both happy and DirectTV can kiss my butt for raising our bill every single month and then taking channels away.
That sounds awesome! We will have to switch and do something similar.
I have sooo wrestled with the idea of getting rid of cable, it is such a time suck! Like you mentioned, I spend maybe 25% of the time watching something I really want to watch, and 75% watching stuff just because it is on (and keeping me from other productive things) We pay almost $150 for cable + internet, insane!
Yes, we waste so much time also!
We haven’t cut the cord. Although we pay more than your $57 (which is a great price!), we use it and enjoy it enough to justify the expense in my mind. It’s part of our budget and if and when a time every comes that the price either becomes too high or we stop watching TV, then I would consider the cutting the cord. It makes sense to me with your pending self-employment that you would reexamine all your bills to make sure you can’t lower or eliminate some. It surprises me to hear you say that TV is potentially keeping you from being more productive. You seem like one of the hardest working and most productive people I know!! 🙂
Haha trust me Shannon, I watch a TON of TV. I have a lot of favorite shows and they all prevent me from getting stuff done!
Wow, $60 is pretty cheap for cable. Definitely less than what they charge here. I might be tempted to keep it at that price, too! It’s good you’re thinking about it from a productivity standpoint. If you really think you’d be more productive, and make more money, without the distraction, then perhaps it is worth it to cut the cord. However, if you had any subscription services, would you be able to stop yourself from browsing them? Cable is included in our rent, but I’m just not one to surf the channels and find something interesting (my boyfriend does this!). I usually rent DVD’s from the library and watch when I want to.
Wow, $60 is pretty cheap for cable. Definitely less than what they charge here. I might be tempted to keep it at that price, too! It’s good you’re thinking about it from a productivity standpoint. If you really think you’d be more productive, and make more money, without the distraction, then perhaps it is worth it to cut the cord. However, if you had any subscription services, would you be able to stop yourself from browsing them? Cable is included in our rent, but I’m just not one to surf the channels and find something interesting (my boyfriend does this!). I usually rent DVD’s from the library and watch when I want to.
Haha yes $60 is definitely not bad! And once Boardwalk Empire is over for this season, we won’t have any need for HBO until Trueblood starts back up next June, so we can save around $10 to $15 a month for around 6 months too! 🙂
I think I could stop myself from browsing subscription services, but I guess you are correct also. I’d probably get sucked in!
Yikes! only $60? We pay at least $89/month which includes HBO and Showtime. I need to call Comcast and ask for a discount, because we also pay for Internet services on top of the $89. This is crazy!
At $89 a month, I do think I would want it lowered or eliminated. That is crazy! Definitely call and ask for a discount.
We don’t have cable and enjoy the monthly savings, but don’t fool yourself into thinking you’ll watch less TV! I still feel like I watch too much TV using our Netflix streaming subscription. We’ve gotten hooked on numerous TV series where we watch 2-4 episodes per night, amounting to 3 wasted hours per day! Everyone is different and perhaps you won’t have the same experience, but I have a similar addictive personality and also enjoy watching TV! On another note, we tried Hulu Plus but decided against signing up because we hate commercials and feel strongly that if you pay for something, it should be ad-free. Great post!
Haha yes, you are probably right Kendal!
For me, cable is (painfully) worth it. I enjoy watching sports and I don’t have any other option. The local pro teams are mainly on cable. I don’t feel like going to the bar to watch the games and I wouldn’t want to go to friends house all of the time either. So until the issue with sports and cable is solved, I will be a cable subscriber.
If I were into sports, I do think I would be the same 🙂
We don’t have cable and I think it’s for the best. We pay a Netflix and Hulu monthly subscription.
I think we might do something similar!
We only use the library right now and it’s working well for us. Netflix would be nice too, but we don’t feel the need at the moment.
We want to do the same also. Good job Joe!
$60 is cheap!!! We pay about $130 I think and we don’t even have premium channels. We have Direct TV and we have a slim package but I think that’s just the cost where I live. Yes, it’s worth it. If we were struggling to pay for groceries or in debt NO it would not be worth it but we enjoy it and we can afford it so we have it. I do often wonder about all that I could be doing with my time were it not for being in front of the TV. I really try to balance it and get what I need to do done and I think I do an okay job of it.
Wow $130 is a lot for just basic TV. Can you negotiate?
I don’t think I can ever give up TV. I sure don’t watch as much as I used to, but my DVR records practically everything so that when I do get a chance to watch, all of my favorites are there. My cable bill is pretty high, but it’s probably because my mom and auntie insist on getting The Filipino Channel (sigh)
How much do you pay? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it, it’s cheap entertainment for most! 🙂
My library charges a dollar to check out DVDs. Still a good option though!
Really? I’ve never heard of that!
I’m a TV addict and can’t justify the cost of cable. I have access to Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime and HBO Go (which I never use). I don’t pay for all of those, because of the ability to share accounts. I invested in a Roku almost a year ago and seriously love the thing. I am never home to watch shows in prime time so I’m always viewing them a day late anyway. With your love of some HBO shows though, cutting cable may be a bit tough. You have to be a cable subscriber to use HBO Go (unless you snag someone’s login). What’s the price difference between the cable/internet bundle and just internet? If your $57 is paying for internet too and it would only reduce by $20 to cut cable then obviously that probably wouldn’t be worth it to you.
The $57 does not cover internet, as the bundle price was actually higher if I bundled everything.
Cable definitely wasn’t worth it for us! We were paying about $130 per month. We got rid of it about two years ago and got a subscription to netflix and hulu and I can honestly say that I don’t miss it. I recently wrote a post about our roku box (I’m so in love with it!). Ever since cancelling cable I don’t watch television as much and when I do it’s usually with purpose. The main shows I watch anyway come on regular television during the fall/winter/spring months and if it doesn’t I easily watch it online. Trust me, you will not miss it one bit! You will appreciate that extra money in the bank a whole lot more:)
$130 is way too much! 🙂
The one and only reason we have cable is for football. If we could have cable August through January, that would be awesome. Otherwise, we watch Netflix, and the news. I want to get rid of our satellite.
Luckily, we don’t watch sports!
We have a discounted bundled package from verizon fios. The cost of our cable is $75 and includes the cost of 4 dvr boxes, hbo and showtime. We are locked in a contract until next year. I will consider looking at other options after our contract is up but I’m with you on asking for discounts. Requesting discounts has also worked for us in the past and I will definitely call to request one after our discounted package has expired.
$75 isn’t too bad. Tat’s pretty close to what we pay. Surprisingly, we don’t have a contract with our cable provider. I recently asked them if we did, and they said us accepting their discounts didn’t mean that we were in a contract. Weird! But good to know that we can canel at any time.
We do Hulu and it’s plenty for us, but we’re not big on sports or anything like that.
We’re not big on sports either. We might have to look further into Hulu.